The Nakate Project focuses on three concepts: sustainability, localization and empowerment.
First, we chose the women that enter our program by discussing three things with our team on the ground: 1. Is the woman strong enough to begin her own business without our program? Is she physically able to do other kinds of labor? 2. If she does do other kinds of labor, are her options limited to kinds of labor that will harm her? For example, in Kakooge, Uganda, two of the only options for work for hire involve prostitution, and hard, back-breaking manual labor. 3. Is she willing to do the program "our" way, so to speak. Will she take the business training we provide? Will she work to save money? Will she invest that money into a business such as a vegetable stand, a shoe business, etc.
First, we chose the women that enter our program by discussing three things with our team on the ground: 1. Is the woman strong enough to begin her own business without our program? Is she physically able to do other kinds of labor? 2. If she does do other kinds of labor, are her options limited to kinds of labor that will harm her? For example, in Kakooge, Uganda, two of the only options for work for hire involve prostitution, and hard, back-breaking manual labor. 3. Is she willing to do the program "our" way, so to speak. Will she take the business training we provide? Will she work to save money? Will she invest that money into a business such as a vegetable stand, a shoe business, etc.
Our first goal is Sustainability: We saw that women lacked three things: capitol, business training, and a knowledge of how to handle money. In order to provide capitol for them, we are paying them twice the amount they would make in country. In order to provide business training, we are meeting with the people we work with on the ground this summer to appoint someone to train the women in business skills, as well as helping them to learn how to save and handle their money. This person (or a second person we hire) will also help to monitor which women are beginning businesses, how successful they are, and if they are ready to be entirely supported by their income in that business.
Our second goal is Localization: Rather than moving people out of their community, we want to provide a way for them to have success within the community. We have discussed with the locals we are working with that the most successful way to do this is through paying them an amount that is comparable to what they would make through a successful business in their own village (or town). We are using locals to teach them business skills relevant to their area. Our goal is to empower them to live successfully within their own area, thus growing their local economy and creating a more sustainable business atmosphere.
Empowerment is our third goal. We value the products we are buying, we treat the women we work with as business partners and we work to create a sense a pride in their work. We believe that pride in a job well done and a sense of independence is crucial.
To find out more about the Nakate Project and how you can help, please visit: www.NakateProject.com
Our second goal is Localization: Rather than moving people out of their community, we want to provide a way for them to have success within the community. We have discussed with the locals we are working with that the most successful way to do this is through paying them an amount that is comparable to what they would make through a successful business in their own village (or town). We are using locals to teach them business skills relevant to their area. Our goal is to empower them to live successfully within their own area, thus growing their local economy and creating a more sustainable business atmosphere.
Empowerment is our third goal. We value the products we are buying, we treat the women we work with as business partners and we work to create a sense a pride in their work. We believe that pride in a job well done and a sense of independence is crucial.
To find out more about the Nakate Project and how you can help, please visit: www.NakateProject.com
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